Chapter 2816: Sudden Onslaught
Chi Yao's eyes showed no change in expression as she said, "It was Chi Yao. She gave it to me."
"A divine sword, given away just like that? Is Chi Yao really that generous? I suspect there's a scheme behind it. Or perhaps she wants you to do something for her?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Chi Yao replied, "Empress Chi Yao has ruled the Kunlun Realm for centuries. Internally, she unified the five domains of humanity. Externally, she intimidated the barbarian lands and seas. In truth, aside from her treatment of you, she can be considered an upright, bold, and magnanimous heroine among women, an emperor of her generation. It probably isn't as dark as you imagine!"
Zhang Ruochen stopped abruptly, his expression turning cold and stern.
A hint of softness and helplessness appeared in Chi Yao's eyes. "I know you hold hatred for her. The enmity between you two cannot be resolved by anyone. But you have to admit, it was Chi Yao who ended the era of constant warfare and fragmented power struggles among the major forces in the Kunlun Realm since the Middle Ages. Under her governance, martial arts flourished, the age prospered, and geniuses emerged in abundance."
"She has great magnanimity, able to tolerate the Bright Hall, the Demon Sect, and the Black Market. She also has great boldness, attacking the Ruins Realm and using it as a foundation to build the realm-protecting grand formation. She eradicated the Undying Blood Clan and eliminated the hidden dangers of the Hell Realm within the Kunlun Realm..."
"In short, you are both extraordinary figures. It's just a pity that the hatred is irreconcilable, and only one of you can survive. Either you die, or she dies."
Zhang Ruochen shook his head. "No! Actually, I already know the truth. Back then, she was likely acting against her will. Everything was an arrangement made by those awakened ones and major figures in the Kunlun Realm. Even the Ming Emperor and the Qing Emperor could only obey orders, having very little room to choose. How much more so for her, who was only a little over ten years old?"
"I believe that at the moment she was given the order, when she struck to kill me, her heart must have been in immense pain. I wonder how much courage she had to muster to make that move."
Chi Yao's face remained expressionless, but inwardly, she was shocked. How did Zhang Ruochen find out about what happened back then?
This was different from what she had imagined!
Zhang Ruochen had to hate her.
Otherwise, wouldn't all the years of planning have been in vain?
Chi Yao asked, "Who told you all this? The Ming Emperor? Or Chi Yao herself? Or was it Nalan Danqing?"
"Don't believe Chi Yao's words, and don't trust the people around her. As far as I know, Chi Yao was cruel even as a child, taking pleasure in killing. She boiled palace maids in cauldrons and tore eunuchs apart with her bare hands, a violent and brutal nature. Killing you at the age of ten or so isn't anything strange."
"Think about it. Why was it her who killed you back then? Not her guards, not the Qing Emperor. Clearly, she simply wanted to kill, enjoyed killing. The thought of killing you might have existed long before!"
"This sounds like a completely different person from the Chi Yao you described earlier?" Zhang Ruochen questioned.
Chi Yao forced herself to stay calm, nodded, and walked forward, trying to cover up her slip. "Actually, I don't really understand Chi Yao. What do you think? Could she be like Gushe Jing, with a split personality?"
Zhang Ruochen truly couldn't fathom what Chi Yao was trying to do, so he continued, "Your understanding of Chi Yao's childhood comes from what others have told you. But I grew up with her. No one knows her better than I do. Chi Yao was willful and eccentric back then, yet also innocent and carefree. Though she was an imperial princess, she was neither arrogant nor overbearing. Though she was competitive, she never bullied the weak."
"She loved romance the most, cherished life and freedom. The lanterns at night, the fish swimming in the water, the stars beyond the sky—everything was beautiful, everything she pursued."
...
Zhang Ruochen seemed lost in his own memories, recounting the girl who had first made his heart flutter in his youth. One event after another: their playful antics in the academy, accidental injuries during sword practice, the sting of their first stolen drink, the childish conversation of their first meeting.
The feelings of youth were the truest and purest.
Feelings in adulthood carried too many other things—beauty, gratitude, sympathy, interest, responsibility... They were no longer pure.
Who still remembered who they had given their truest, deepest feelings to?
Chi Yao's eyes grew distant. "You still remember all that?"
"Yes, I remember it all," Zhang Ruochen said.
Chi Yao said, "Unfortunately, Chi Yao has probably long forgotten. If you don't let go of her sooner, you'll suffer a great loss in the future."
"What's wrong with you today? Why are you speaking ill of Chi Yao at every turn? Haven't you always believed that everything Chi Yao did was right?" Zhang Ruochen said, somewhat displeased.
Chi Yao's tone turned cold. "I am me, and you are you. I have no grudge against Chi Yao, so of course I can acknowledge some of her actions. But why are you so stubborn? The hatred between you runs deep. When you meet again, I hope you can be a man, raise your sword, and settle the score. If you don't even have that resolve, how will you ever surpass the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable in the future?"
"Xumi Saint Monk entrusted this era to you. How many people have sacrificed everything for this, hoping that you could make a difference in this age, reach the level of the Great Venerable, or even surpass him, so that this era could be changed because of you. Not to be trapped by romantic attachments and indulged in comfort and pleasure."
"I've been wanting to say this for a long time. Women like Luo Sha, Yan Zhexian, Bai Qinger, and Ji Fanxin—these inhuman demonesses—are all fetters on your path of growth."
"Chi Yao can be slain, and so can they."
"Once they are slain, you can focus on martial arts and contemplate the current situation of the universe and the Daoist beliefs you wish to pursue in the future."
"Do you really think that way?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
Chi Yao said, "Of course!"
...
Xiao Hei stroked his long cat whiskers. "Looks like they're arguing. Could it be that Zhang Ruochen has already seen through Bore's true identity? What do we do now?"
The conversation between Zhang Ruochen and Chi Yao had been conducted through spiritual power telepathy to avoid being overheard by Gushe Jing.
Xiao Hei's hearing was stronger than that of ordinary gods. He mobilized divine Qi to gather at his ears and eavesdropped carefully.
Just as everyone was either preoccupied with their own thoughts or distracted, a sudden change occurred.
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh!"
Two bright beams of light flew out from the nearby divine blood river, striking Chi Yao and Yan Wushen respectively.
Even though Chi Yao and Yan Wushen reacted with lightning speed, their divine bodies were still pierced through. They were sent flying, divine blood splattering and staining a large area.
Yan Wushen's divine body was penetrated by the supreme sacred artifact "Heavenly Extreme Cloud Piercing Blade." His ribs were shattered, and his chest was covered in blood.
Chi Yao was struck through the heart by the Magpie God Feather.
It wasn't just the heart that was pierced, but also the sacred heart that stored spiritual power. Spiritual power thoughts overflowed, dispersing into the world. Her entire spiritual power cultivation seemed on the verge of being destroyed.
The so-called sacred heart was located within the heart.
Once one became a god through spiritual power, the sacred heart was also called the divine heart. It was the most important place for a spiritual power cultivator, similar to the Qi sea for a martial artist.
"Crash!"
Gui Si and Tianque Shenji, hidden in the river, shot up like lightning, retrieving the Heavenly Extreme Cloud Piercing Blade and the Magpie God Feather.
"Ten Directions Soul-Shocking Formation!"
Gui Si unrolled a formation scroll, enveloping Zhang Ruochen, Xiao Hei, Gushe Jing, Chi Yao, and Yan Wushen. Dense formation inscriptions flew out from the scroll.
Deathly yin clouds appeared around them.
An invisible soul-shattering force emanated from the formation, causing the five trapped gods and spirits excruciating pain, as if their souls were being torn apart.
At the same time, thousands of chains descended, coiling toward them.
Clearly, Gui Si and Tianque Shenji knew that a direct confrontation would not work against Yan Wushen and the others. So they had made meticulous preparations, first ambushing and severely wounding the strongest—Chi Yao and Yan Wushen—then suppressing and imprisoning them with the formation.
At the critical moment, Xiao Hei didn't let them down. He immediately took out the Ice Soul Cold Pearl, intending to manifest the Great Thousand Ice Soul World to counter the formation scroll.
But Gui Si was no ordinary figure. He was an Upper-level God. Knowing Xiao Hei had the Ice Soul Cold Pearl, how could he give him the chance to activate it?
"Boom!"
Gui Si moved at the speed of light, appearing before Xiao Hei in an instant. He pressed a palm against Xiao Hei's chest, divine power surging. Xiao Hei's body was lifted off the ground and sent flying.
Xiao Hei's divine flames erupted, and the wings on his back spread wide, neutralizing the palm's divine power.
A flicker of surprise crossed Gui Si's eyes, followed by a smile. He swung all four arms, creating countless palm shadows, and exchanged over a dozen blows with Xiao Hei. Finally, he extinguished the divine flames on Xiao Hei's body, sending him flying again, where he was entangled by countless chains.
The Ice Soul Cold Pearl fell into Gui Si's hands.
The gap in their cultivation was simply too great—the difference between an Upper-level God and a Lower-level God.
On the other side, the battle between Gushe Jing and Tianque Shenji had also ended.
With the formation scroll shocking their souls and being caught off guard, how could Gushe Jing, a Mid-level God, stand a chance against the veteran Mid-level God Tianque Shenji?
The entire exchange happened in the blink of an eye.
From the moment Gui Si and Tianque Shenji launched their ambush to the moment Gushe Jing, Xiao Hei, Chi Yao, and Yan Wushen were trapped by the formation, less than a single blink of an eye had passed.
If a Saint Realm cultivator had been here, they wouldn't have been able to see what had happened at all.
As for Zhang Ruochen, Gui Si and Tianque Shenji considered him the weakest, so he wasn't ambushed.
Zhang Ruochen's eyes turned icy. "It's you."
"Surprised? Haha! Both the Nether Hall and the Darkness Temple sent a large number of god-level experts, but it's our Death God Temple that reaps the final fruits of victory." Gui Si manipulated the formation while playing with a divine talisman in his hand.
This talisman was refined by the Dharma-Ending God King, a God King Talisman.
But its function wasn't defense, but concealment, hiding the user's heavenly secrets and aura.
Earlier, Gui Si hadn't used this God King Talisman because he thought that with his Upper-level God cultivation, he could crush them with pure strength without needing to ambush a few new gods.
"They are all very strong and must have trump cards. Let's kill them first to avoid any complications."
Tianque Shenji was decisive. She struck again with the Magpie God Feather.
The Magpie God Feather was refined from a feather left by an ancient God Venerable, possessing immense power and containing the force to slay gods.
"Whoosh!"
Zhang Ruochen's figure flickered, appearing before Yan Wushen. He reached out and grabbed the rapidly flying Magpie God Feather. His body blazed with the radiance of the Origin, and the force from the feather dispersed from beneath his feet, forming a wave of divine Qi.
Even a Lower-level God using a supreme sacred artifact would find it difficult to block the Magpie God Feather.
How could a junior who had only become a god through spiritual power catch it with his bare hands?
Tianque Shenji's face changed drastically. She realized that she and Gui Si might have miscalculated. Zhang Ruochen didn't seem to be the weakest; on the contrary, he appeared to be very strong.
Gui Si narrowed his eyes, a cold light flashing in his pupils. "Origin Envoy!"
"Whoosh!"
Not far away, a divine sword flew out from Chi Yao's body, severing the chains wrapped around her and breaking the suppression of the formation inscriptions. It landed on the ground.
She sat cross-legged, absorbing the scattered spiritual power and healing her sacred heart injury.
What was injured was Bore's sacred heart, not Chi Yao's divine heart.
At the critical moment of Tianque Shenji's ambush, Bore had taken the blow for Chi Yao.
"How does she still have another divine sword?" Tianque Shenji said in surprise.